Top-holder.



, No; 886,595. I PATENTED MAY 5,1908.

M. GLASSGOGK.

TOP HOLDER. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 27, 1901.

THE NORRIS FETERS cm, WASHINGTDN,'D. t.

UNITED STAT TOP-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 5, 1908.

Application filed September 27, 1907. Serial No. 39&,938;

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARIoN GLASSOOCK, a citizen of the United States,and residing at ebb City, in the county of Jasper and State of Missouri,have invented a new and useful To p-Holder, of which the following is aspeci iication.

This invention relates generally to toy tops, and particularly to thatclass that are speeded up in a holder, and employ colored fans inconjunction with the spindle of the top to produce a pleasing minglingof colors while the top is spinning.

The object of the invention is to provide a novel form of holder for thetop while being speeded, that will be constructed in such manner as topermit of the to being deposited upon a suitable surface withoutinterfering with the spinning.

Vith the above and other objects inview, as will appear as the nature ofthe invention is better understood, the same consists in the novelconstruction and combination of parts of a top holder, as will behereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, andin which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts,Figure 1 is a top plan view of the top and holder. Fig. 2 is a view inside elevation, partly in section, displaying the manner in which thetop is released from the holder. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view, onan enlarged scale, through the top and fans combined therewith.

The top comprises, as usual, a spindle 1 having pointed terminals 2 anda body 3, and as these parts may be of the usual or any preferredconstruction further description thereof is deemed unnecessary.

The novelty of the present invention resides in a holder for sustainingthe top while being speeded, and for releasing the top to deposit itupon a suitable surface. This holder comprises an approximatelyU-shapedmember 1, which is constructed of a length of resilient wire andis provided near the outer ends of the opposed faces of the arms with V-shaped seats 4 to receive the terminals or pivots 2 of the spindle 1.Connecting the arms of the holder at any preferred point in their lengthis a brace 5, the connection be tween the arms and the brace beingsecured in this instance by providing the latter with eyes 6 that areclenched around the arms. As will hereinafter appear, the eyes formfulcrums for the arms, and cause the terminals thereof to move away fromeach other, in the direction indicated by dotted lines, when pressure isa plied to the arms between the brace anc the bend of the holder, asshown in Fig. 2, thereby to free the seats 4 from engagement with thepivots 2.

The fans 7 are herein shown as four in number and may be of anypreferred colors, and are approximately rectangular in form, the endsbeing rounded. In order to hold the fans properly spaced upon thespindle, there is combined with each a washer or hub 8 that extends atboth sides beyond the faces of the fans and thereby holds them out ofcontact with each other, and at the same time permitting passage of airbetween them. These washers or hubs may be made of any suitablematerial, and are centrally orificed to work loosely upon the spindle.As shown in Fig. 2, the fans are of different lengths, and preferablydecrease progressively in length from the up er to the lower one. Bythis arrangement, t 1e fans are caused to resent varying resistance tothe air, and t us the longer fan will exert a braking action, or operateto retard the speed of the next adj acent shorter fan, and so on,throughout the series of fans.

To spin the top, the fans are first placed upon the spindle, theshortest one being po sitioned first, and the longest one last. The topis then assembled with the holder in the manner shown in Fig. 2, and thethumb and forefinger of the hand. are pressed upon the arms between thebrace 5 and the seats 4. An ordinary spinning cord is then wound uponthe lower portion of the spindle and, when ready to spin, sufficientpressure will be exerted u on the arms to prevent the pivots from sipping from the seats when lateral draft is applied to the cord ortwine. The twine is then rapidly withdrawn, thereby spinning the top,and the frame is then transferred to the other hand, the thumb andforefinger being now pressed upon the arms back of the brace. To releasethe top, the lower arm of the holder is caused to rest lightly upon thesurface upon which the top is to spin, and, upon the arms beingcompressed, their outer terminals will be deflected away from eachother, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, and upon a uick turn to oneside being imparted to the rame, the top will be transferred to thespinning surface. 1

While it Will generally be preferred to arceive the spindle pivots of atop, and a brace 10 range the fans in the order named, it will be havingits ends secured to the arms and opobvious that this may be reversed,and as erating to cause the terminals of the latter to such arrangementwill be obvious, detailed spread when pressure is applied between the 5illustration thereof is deemed unnecessary. brace and the bend of theholder.

I claim MARION GLASSCOOK.

A holder for tops comprising aU-shaped WVitnesses: 7

structure having the opposed faces of the ter- C. W. J OOELYN, minals ofits arms provided with seats to re- AsA RosnNcRANs.

